Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 902 - 165: Canal Battle

Cannonballs fell from the sky, exploding upon hitting the water and generating tremendous waves.

The rafts, just launched into the river and not yet effective, were shattered by the torrential waves.

Seeing what was happening in front of him, Colonel Bodman had already lost hope for the upcoming attack.

There was no way around it; the Suez Canal was simply too narrow. Standing by the river, one could clearly see the other side with the naked eye, and no crossing tool could remain hidden.

From the moment navigation began, France and Austria had considered the Suez Canal a top strategic location. To ensure the canal’s security, both countries had deployed a heavy artillery presence along the coast.

Not surprisingly, the French’s artillery was stationed in Egypt, and Austria’s in the Sinai Peninsula. Each country held one side to ensure its own influence.

Originally, these cannons and fortresses were intended to guard against the British; unexpectedly, they ended up targeting their former allies.

After the outbreak of war, in order to fully control the Suez Canal, France and Austria both committed significant forces to compete for it.

Alas, both sides’ defenses were formidable. Without destroying the canal, neither was able to secure a landing.

"Send a telegram to headquarters, the enemy is prepared, our rafts came under enemy fire, and the plan to sneak attack Suez Port has failed!

In view of the current situation, I suggest that headquarters approve the destruction of the Suez Canal to create a passage," Colonel Bodman said helplessly.

This was not the first time he had suggested destroying the canal. However, given the Suez Canal’s strategic importance, and the subpar dredging technology of the era,

any damage to the canal, even if localized, would require a long time to repair.

In an era of war, time was life. Capturing a canal that could not fulfill its strategic purpose would hardly provide a strategic advantage against the enemy.

From the combat between the French and Austrian armies, it was evident that while they engaged in cannon warfare, both sides tried to spare the canal as much as possible.

Of course, this was not unrelated to the shareholders behind the Canal Company. After all, the shares of the Suez Canal had long been divided among the elite of both countries.

Considering the faces of the Buddhas, even during wartime, one can’t escape the intricacies of personal relationships. Perhaps the bigwigs at headquarters were among the shareholders of the canal company themselves.

Unless absolutely necessary, nobody could bring themselves to decide to destroy the canal.

In comparison, the military was rather straightforward. These complex issues were not something Colonel Bodman needed to concern himself with as a frontline commander. His only focus was military concerns.

...

Upon receiving Colonel Bodman’s telegram, the wrinkles on General Feslav’s forehead deepened.

To facilitate colonial expansion, since the establishment of colonies, Austria had appointed military officers as colonial governors, mainly responsible for the security of the colonies and external wars.

As the Governor of the Middle East, General Feslav automatically became the commander of the Middle East War Zone upon the outbreak of war, charged with seizing the Suez Canal.

With high rank came intense pressure. Unlike previous enemies, this time the enemy was France.

A look through the history books revealed that, in European war history, France was a major boss, the strongest nation in Europe for the majority of the time, and the French Army was internationally recognized as the best in the world.

Facing such an enemy, one could never be too cautious.

In fact, Feslav was not alone in having this thought. At the onset of the war, the generals of the Anti-French Alliance were all somewhat hesitant.

But all that was history now. With the eruption of the war, the reverence for the French Army quickly faded.

Indeed, the elite French forces were formidable, but such units were too few; more numerous were the regular units with mediocre combat effectiveness.

If such was the case even on the European battlefield, it was even more so in the Egypt Area. Apart from a few elite native divisions, the rest of the colonial troops were hardly a match.

Due to the obstruction of the canal, although the Middle East War Zone had not achieved much, the brother troops in East Africa, West Africa, and North Africa were advancing triumphantly.

There was no help for it; the boundary line France shared with Austria was simply too long. Although deserts blocked most regions, there were still many areas without desert barriers.

With a boundary line stretching who knows how many thousands of miles, even if the French government wanted to deploy heavy troops for defense, it didn’t have enough forces to fill in, leaving the heavy responsibility of defense to the Colonial Government.

Undoubtedly, on one side were fief aristocrats fighting for their own cause, and on the other, native troops fighting for the French, with both their combat strength and will to fight on entirely different levels.

Victory always had the best morale-boosting effect. General Feslav, who had originally worried about whether the French would cross the river, now only thought about how to attack.

...

Inside the headquarters, Chief of Staff Von Frank chuckled, "This is already the thirty-sixth telegram proposing to blow up the Suez Canal, Your Excellency the Commander, it’s time now that you make a decision."

General Feslav gave him an annoyed glare and rolled his eyes, "You think I don’t want to, but the impact of destroying the Suez Canal is too great.

We can do without it for our purposes, as domestic preparations have been made not to rely on it during wartime.

The problem is, when the Suez Canal was operable, we issued a declaration of its everlasting neutrality, explicitly affirming that it should remain freely navigable at all times.

Now, because of the war, we’ve temporarily closed the canal, and our country has already faced considerable diplomatic pressure.

If it were to come out now that we’ve destroyed the canal, the international opinion favorable to us could flip in an instant."

Whether willing to admit it or not, war always serves politics. As a high-ranking commander, General Feslav had to consider the political impact.

Although the Suez Canal is now closed, neither France nor Austria has officially declared this closure—the only document is a recommendation letter from the Swathed Canal Company.

Theoretically, the Suez Canal is still freely navigable and neither France nor Austria can obstruct it.

Of course, anyone hearing the roaring gunfire from both sides of the canal would not dare to pass through during such times.

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Not daring and not being able are entirely different concepts. Currently, France and Austria are jointly facing international pressure, as the war was instigated by the French, and most of the resentment is directed at them.

If the Austrian army were to blow up the canal, it would be different; the ones cutting off financial routes would not be the French, but the Austrian government.

Being blamed might seem trivial, but on a deeper level, it means the government’s painstakingly accumulated international credibility would be destroyed at once.

Loss of international credibility will inevitably affect Austria’s post-war efforts to rebuild the international order, and the interests involved are enormous."

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Von Frank nodded his head, acknowledging this explanation, but his next words infuriated General Feslav.

"That is your problem, who made you the Commander? The General Staff is only responsible for devising combat plans, the political impact has nothing to do with us."

Looking at the gleeful Chief of Staff, General Feslav wanted to punch him, but that was just a fleeting thought.

Rules are rules— from its establishment, the Austrian staff system has forbade their involvement in politics.

If they started considering issues from a political angle, they’d be on the fast track to dismissal.

This was part of a checks and balances system, mainly drawing lessons from the German military’s power grab during World War I, and is a taboo that must not be touched.

In fact, General Feslav, the commander, was also restricted from involving in politics, but his special status demanded that he consider political aspects.

Undecidable issues would naturally need to be escalated. Decisions that might affect the Empire’s future strategy could only be made by the Vienna Government.

...

At dusk, a series of rafts silently hit the water, with Colonel Bodman personally arriving at the front to motivate the troops for the surprise attack.

Looking at the vibrant young men, Colonel Bodman suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt.

Knowing there wasn’t much hope, yet risking their lives, somehow felt akin to committing murder.

But such is the cruelty of war; to win the ultimate victory, no opportunity could be missed.

Colonel Bodman’s guilt didn’t last long and was soon disrupted by a voice.

"Colonel, it’s time for the operation. The enemy’s searchlight just swept past; we only have fifteen minutes."

The advent of the age of electricity had naturally found its way into military use, such as the searchlights on the battlefield.

Given the limited width of the Suez Canal, the lights could directly illuminate the opposite side, naturally serving as a powerful tool to prevent enemy night attacks.

"Attack!"

...